Thread: Immigration Misfire ( The Wall Street Journal )

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB1202172 ... lenews_wsj


Immigration Misfire
By ROSA ROSALES
February 5, 2008; Page A16

Political pundits used to maintain that the American electorate was galvanized around the issue of illegal immigration. Voters, they claimed, would punish any candidate who failed to take a tough stance on immigrants and did not adamantly oppose the "A" word -- Amnesty -- in all its tortured definitions.

Yet a funny thing happened in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. The most anti-immigrant candidates performed below expectations, and those accused of supporting amnesty and in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants won.

How is this possible? How could John McCain, the author of the McCain-Kennedy Comprehensive Immigration bill beat Mitt Romney, who aired anti-illegal-immigrant commercials more than 12,000 times in Iowa and New Hampshire alone?

Well, it turns out that 57% of Iowa primary voters actually favored earned citizenship for the undocumented. Only 23% favored deportation. And according to New Hampshire exit polls, immigration was not among the three most important issues for Democrats. It was tied for third place among Republicans.

In Florida, Mr. Romney's anti-illegal-immigrant message led Cuban Americans to vote for Mr. McCain by a 5-1 margin. Additionally, CNN exit polls showed that Republicans who favored deportation for illegal immigrants constituted only 40% of the vote, while 58% favored either temporary resident status or an earned pathway to citizenship.

Now the pundits have changed their tune. Mr. Romney's anti-illegal-immigrant rhetoric, they're declaring, is driving Latino voters away from the GOP and making traditionally conservative states such as Nevada, New Mexico, Colorado, Florida, Iowa and even Arizona into swing states.

However, the backlash to Mr. Romney's rhetoric was predictable from the beginning. In 22 national public opinion polls conducted last year, 50%-83% of Americans supported some type of pathway to legalization for undocumented workers. In almost every competitive race in the 2006 congressional elections that matched an anti-immigration candidate against one that supported comprehensive immigration reform, the anti-immigrant candidate lost.

Interestingly enough, Mr. Romney started out with a fairly moderate position on immigration, saying in 2005 that it would not be "practical or economic for the country" to deport all undocumented immigrants residing in the United States. In reference to the proposals of President Bush and Mr. McCain to create pathways to legalization, Mr. Romney told the Boston Globe that, "I think those are reasonable proposals."

Yet once Mr. Romney became serious about a presidential run his rhetoric became increasingly anti-immigrant. On his way out the door as governor of Massachusetts, he initiated a program to deputize state troopers to detain individuals solely on the basis of their immigration status. Once on the campaign trail, he began running numerous ads attacking the other candidates for being too soft on "illegals."

Apparently conservative voters respond to issues that impact their personal quality of life far more than they do to racially polarized rhetoric designed to pit one group of Americans against another. In the two states Mr. Romney won, Michigan and Nevada, he focused on economic issues, and exit polls show that issue resonated much more than immigration.

While Mr. Romney's campaign must be disappointed with the election results so far, it is immigrants themselves who've suffered the most from the divisive offensive on immigration. Congress shelved comprehensive reform last summer, as many members became convinced that helping immigrants, even when it is in our nation's interest, was politically untenable. Inflammatory rhetoric has also led to a dramatic increase in hate crimes and racial profiling against Latinos, according to the FBI and the Southern Poverty Law Center.

In 2008, our country needs a leader who will unite Americans, not divide them; one that honors the hard work and patriotism of immigrants, not holds them out for public scorn. Even if pundits, bloggers and talk show hosts can't seem to get this message in their heads, the American public is speaking through their votes. They are choosing candidates who offer hope and solutions, not the politics of fear.

Ms. Rosales is president of the League of United Latin American Citizens.



Not sure where she gets her info but it sounds like a bunch of crap to me If I have posted this in the wrong area or it has already been posted please delete.

Everyone needs to read this carefully.

This is what we are in for if McCain wins tomorrow.

W

Yet a funny thing happened in Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina and Florida. The most anti-immigrant candidates performed below expectations, and those accused of supporting amnesty and in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants won.

The vote is also divided between candidates. Add them up and McCain didn't do so hot.

Dixie

I'm hoping Florida was a wake up call to Conservatives to get out and vote today.

McNasty is going to see his nomination as a mandate for amnesty! As will Obama and Clinton if they win the White House.

Everyone needs to read this carefully.

This is what we are in for if McCain wins tomorrow.

W

If that's the case then it would seem that in the best interest of the country a call to unity today would be the most important thing we could do.

I just hope it's not too late.

Looks like we have another DREAMIE on our hands

So what else is new?

We knew we were in a battle for our country.

Also it seems that there are a lot of people that do not seem to realize how bad this illegal problem is.

Could also be, its NIMBY mentality as well as they have no problems with jobs or over extended city/town/state coffers from the illegals.

What can you expect from the WSJ? I feel like cancelling my subscription!

When you have Janet Murguia doing her little hit job on Lou Dobbs last nite and articles like this..it's all part and parcel of the desperate last ditch attempt to "get John McCain nominated at any cost" OBL folks on the eve of the most important election of our lifetime.

The Globalists MUST have their cheap labor and open borders at any cost...if they are to keep up with China and India...what better way to achieve that goal than to have Mr. Amnesty himself ready to butt heads with Hillary...it's a win-win for all of them.

BUT, the PEOPLE are being heard as we speak...right here at Ground Zero in CA! If the latest poll is correct...Romney is ahead by 7%! I don't know of one person...not even my staunchest DEM friends, who favor amnesty! ALL of my Dem friends are voting for ROmney!

If worse comes to worse...we will have to battle CONGRESS....and we have done that before...and we WON! I'm NOT giving up!

In 2008, our country needs a leader who will unite Americans, not divide them;

That's what we want. By the way, illegal aliens are NOT americans. They are unauthorized to be here and are not welcome.

We all new this was going to happen if someone like McCain wins....for one thing there are alot of people out there losing thier homes, lost a job, pay cuts etc. they have put the economy first and are not putting together the connection between the economy and illegal immigration.

Mc Cain also has been playing Bushs game with the terrorism card for the last couple weeks...that scares people to death, they start believeing with out him we will be attacked tomorrow.......but don't ask yourself in that case why are our borders still wide open.

Anyway it all amounts to the fact the News loves this, they can use it just like they tried to do after the 2006 election..... illegal immigration is not that important to the American people because they threw out of office some of the stongest opponents of it.